Lanpher to Drive for JR Motorsports in 2013

Reid Lanpher became the youngest NELCAR winner in history with a Mother's Day win on the NHMS road course.
Chris Roy/RPM Photography

Reid Lanpher has been hired to drive for JR Motorsports in 2013.

Lanpher, 14, of Manchester, Maine, will compete in a Late Model at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., for the team owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship at the .416-mile oval.

“The opportunity to drive a Late Model for JRM is by far the biggest highlight in my racing career,” Lanpher said.“I feel honored to have such a chance, and I’m hopeful that we can be a real threat on the track. Everyone at JRM has been very supportive, and I’m excited to get racing.”

Lanpher spent the 2012 season competing on the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour, where he posted two wins – including a victory on the 1.6-mile road course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in May that made him the youngest winner in any division to compete annually at New England's largest sporting facility. In addition, Lanpher has made two starts in the Granite State Pro Stock Series, where he scored Top-10 finishes in each of his two appearances.

Lanpher will be a teammate to Josh Berry at JRM. Berry won the Motor Mile Speedway championship this season in the JRM No. 88 Speedco Chevrolet, scoring 15 Top-5 finishes in 18 starts toward JRM's first Late Model title.

“We’re looking forward to having Reid join the JRM team,” said team manager L.W. Miller.“We’ve seen a lot of young talent cut their teeth running Late Models. After the success we had last year with Josh, we’re anxious to get a head start with Reid in 2013.

“He has a lot of experience for someone his age, and we want to help him fine-tune his skills and succeed at this level.”

Earnhardt Jr. founded the JRM Late Model team a decade ago, and 2013 marks the first time in four years that the program will expand to field a multi-car effort in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition.